


Within the White Tower

by TinWhistles



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2016-12-31
Packaged: 2018-09-13 14:56:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9128962
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinWhistles/pseuds/TinWhistles
Summary: Hinata Hyuga is the heir to the Hyuga Corporation, one of the biggest business conglomerates in all Japan. Her family worries that her timid nature will make her unfit to succeed her father, and sends her off to a prestigious university in the hopes that she will learn the skills necessary to fulfill her predetermined role in life. She is shy, insecure, and weighted down by the expectations of others.However, when the passionate and rather hot-headed Sakura Haruno crosses her path, her beliefs are shaken to their core and she finds herself in awe of her confidence.As they grow closer, Hinata's center is completely upended and she ends up with far more than she bargained for in the world of the living rather than nestled within the safety of her family's ivory tower.





	

The lights in the room were already dimmed, so that only a faint, low white glow from the evening sky allowed her to see the bags filled with clothing and other various necessities. The sound of the zipper closing the last piece of luggage seemed like the loudest noise in the world at the time, so quiet was the house. It was jarring enough that the owner of the bag flinched, pale grey eyes clenching shut.

 

“Ms. Hyuga, do you have all of your bags?”

 

She did her best not to start as the maid walked in, standing patiently in the doorway with her eyes kept respectfully on the floor as she waited for her answer. She gulped, picking up her head with a shy smile.

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

“I’ll take these out to the car then for you, Miss.”

 

“Thank you, Natsu.”

 

Natsu didn’t say a word in reply, merely bowing as she grabbed the two duffel bags and carried them out with her. It was expected, seeing as she was the servant of the illustrious and powerful Hyuga family, but still never failed to make the heiress vaguely uncomfortable.

 

She got up from the floor and walked over to her closet, grabbing full-length leather one with fleece lining to protect her from the freezing wintry weather outside. She’d only be outdoors for a few seconds since a car was already idling a few feet away from the front of the house, but it was more of a matter of comfort. She liked the feeling of wrapping herself up in a warm, thick coat since it made her feel safe and at ease all bundled up.

 

She zipped the coat up all the way to the bottom of her chin, took one last look around her room, and walked out. As her foot touched the top step of the spiraling marble stairs, she heard her father’s voice bellowing from the parlor.

 

“Hinata! Will you hurry up? We’ve been waiting for thirty minutes for you to finish up in there!”

 

“Sorry, father,” she called back meekly, scurrying down the stairs as fast as she could while trying to avoid eye contact with her seething father.

Her apology clearly didn’t make up for her lateness, as Hinata could still feel his gaze boring holes into the back of her head. Hiashi Hyuga had a longstanding reputation for being intimidating and ruthless in business and personal interaction, even among powerful executives, much less timid young women like his eldest daughter.

 

He followed close behind, making sure that she was making a beeline for the car and would not be holding them up any further. He stood with his arms crossed, standing stiff straight and silent as he watched Hinata slide into the backseat of their BMW and fasten herself in. Satisfied, he scoffed and seated himself in the front next to their chauffeur, Hayato. With that, the car started and they rolled forward towards their destination.

 

The silence in the vehicle was deafening to the point where it felt as though there was no breathable air left inside. Hinata sighed softly and pulled her MP3 player out of her coat pocket, slipped hear earphones over her head and pressed play. Soft flute melodies flowed through the plastic equipment, instantly releasing the tension in her muscles. She had a two hour car ride ahead of her and the stress of starting her first semester of University had been weighing on her already frayed nerves, the young lady figured she owed herself a bit of relaxation.

 

The Hyuga entourage was currently on its way towards their destination, Hi No Kuni University, where Hinata was set to attend. It was one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education in all Japan and also the school that had the lowest acceptance rate in the country, making it quite a spectacular feat to be an admitted student there. But, such sky-high achievements were to be expected from a blue blood like her. Regardless of what she was able to do, it was met with subdued praise, as if whatever it was, it was not yet impressive enough for her ever-present peanut gallery.

 

She looked up timidly, her volume kept low so as not to irritate anyone else in the car and draw attention to herself, trying to catch a glimpse of her father’s face. Hiashi’s eyes were set dead ahead, firm in their determination not to acknowledge the snow fluttering down on the hood of the car. He glanced back out of the corner of his eye and Hinata immediately dropped her gaze to her lap. He resumed his challenge to the skies and the ride continued in silence.

 

“Miss Hinata, we’ve arrived,” Hayato called softly, snapping the heiress out of her trance.

 

“O-Okay.”  


“Don’t stutter, you’re not an idiot.”

 

“Yes, father.”

 

Hayato did not react in the slightest to the exchange, simply getting up from the driver’s seat and circling around the back of the BMW to retrieve Hinata’s bags. He carried them with little to no effort despite how heavy they were: a testament to his training as an elite bodyguard. A second car pulled up right behind them, out of which two more bodyguards emerged. Ko, the first of the two, smiled warmly as he greeted his mistress. He’d been her personal guard ever since she was a child, and thus had a sizeable soft spot for her. She gave him a shy one in return, and nervously tapped her fingers together as he and his companions began escorting her up the stairs.

 

She had been placed in the centermost dorm of Hi no Kuni, a tall, spiraling structure that loomed over everything else. All the other buildings were dwarfed, and seemed to bow to it. A worthy symbol of her elite status as a Hyuga as far as Hiashi was concerned, hence why he requested her placement there. As she looked up at it, she felt so incredibly small that her insides seemed to shrink. _It’s really big,_ she thought, biting her lip.

 

As they reached the door, Hinata fumbled to get her student ID out of her pocket to swipe herself and her guards in. Her palms were wet and clammy from nerves, and it fell from her fingers several times before Ko stepped in and inserted it into the slot. Hinata’s lower lip extended in a slight pout of embarrassment, causing Ko to gently pat her on the top of her head as a gesture of reassurance.

 

Hinata kept her head down, as she did most of the time, hoping no one would notice her. It was a moot point, as the other students moving in with her parents noted the uniformly dressed men in a protective horseshoe formation around her and began whispering quietly to one another. It was times like these that she just wanted to curl up into a ball and disappear.

 

She gently pushed open the door and scanned the inside of her new room. It was small, with a uniform set up of a twin bed, a desk and a closet on either side. As the room was bare, Hinata figured her roommate must not have arrived yet and meekly asked Ko, Hayato and the third servant to put her bags on the right. No sooner did her suitcases touch the floor than her father barged in again.

 

Hinata’s spine stiffened and she stood stick straight as Hiashi walked up to her, looming over her as he always did. As he glared down the bridge of his nose at her, she felt like the tiniest, filthiest louse in the entire country.

 

“I expect you not to tarnish the family name while you’re here and prove yourself worthy of succession. You are a Hyuga, and you will behave as such as the heir to my legacy. Should you fail, you will have proven yourself unworthy.”

 

He did not need further specificity to get his point across. Hinata bowed deeply at the waste, holding back tears of fear as her head faced the floor.

 

“Of course, father. I won’t disappoint you.”

 

The family head did not acknowledge her response, turning on his heel and exiting the room with his own five guards. The door slammed loudly behind him, causing everyone to flinch. Once the ringing left their ears, the three remaining men began unpacking. Within half an hour, her desk was populated with the school supplies she’d bought, her textbooks lining the shelves, and a lamp plugged in and ready to be turned on. There was not a wrinkle to be seen in either the sheets or the comforter. Even the pillow was pristine. Hinata would have done it herself, but it would have been rude to refuse the others their duty as servants of the main branch. With their tasks complete, they bowed in unison.

 

“Good luck, Miss Hinata. We’ll be praying for your success.”

 

“Thank you,” she replied, her voice barely a hair above a whisper.

 

They nodded all at once, Ko giving her a parting wave as they left, closing the door softly behind them to allow Hinata her space. She looked around the room and then walked over to her bed. She looked over the familiar blue bedding embroidered with the family crest and in the farthest corner, tucked under the pillow she spotted the brown leg of her favorite dog plushie. It was obviously hidden so that Hiashi wouldn’t catch a glimpse of it and take it from her so she could still have a small comfort from home. She smiled and pulled it out from its hiding place, setting it down gently next to her pillow. She fiddled with its legs, letting the pleasant feelings of comfort run over her. Then, as quickly as it came, it was gone as her anxiety welled up in the back of her throat like hydrochloric acid. Her face blanched and she put the stuffed animal down. She rolled over and placed her face in the pillow, tucking her arms under it so it blocked out all fresh air.

 

 _I don’t want to disappoint Father,_ she thought, _I wish I wasn’t such a burden on everyone else…_

 

She sighed and rolled over on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She exhaled a long breath, preparing herself for another few months of intense stress and unrelenting pressure. Little did she know, there would be a lot more on her plate than just the burden of belonging to such a high-born family, and that the catalyst for her biggest change was living a few floors below her.


End file.
